Bollywood's famous assistant directors!

Some of the entertainment industry's most popular stars carved their way to success by making a pit stop as an assistant director before they became leading men and women. Here's looking at some of the biggest stars who have worked behind the cameras...

Source : Viral Bhayani

Ayushmann Khurrana - While some of the top names honed their acting skills on film sets by observing from behind the cameras, actor Ayushmann Khurrana takes a U-turn with 'Madras Cafe'. The 'Vicky Donor' actor, who got rave reviews for his performance in the film, assisted director Shoojit Sircar for this John Abraham and Nargis Fakhri-starrer.

Source : Film still

Varun Dhawan - Before being crowned 'Student Of The Year, David Dhawan's son Varun did his homework behind the scenes too. He was one of the assistant directors working for Karan Johar's 'My Name Is Khan'.

Source : Film still

Siddharth Malhotra - Another star was born on the sets of 'My Name Is Khan'. Along with his SOTY co-star Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra also first learnt his filmmaking lessons as an AD before moving on to acting.

Source : Film still

Hrithik Roshan - The supremely talented Hrithik Roshan needs no training as such, but the actor learnt from some of the best while assisting his father Rakesh Roshan in his various films. Some of Rakesh Roshan's ventures like 'Karan Arjun' and 'Koyla' had Duggu as the assistant. Since these films star superstar Shah Rukh Khan, we wonder if Hrithik was busy taking acting tips behind the camera.

Source : Film still

Ranbir Kapoor - This 'Besharam' actor was trained well under the tough task master Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Before making his dream debut with Bhansali in 'Saawariya', Ranbir got to learn from some of the finest talents in the industry - Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji on the sets of 'Black'.

Source : Film still

Sonam Kapoor - Fashionista Sonam Kapoor wasn't exactly a head turner on the sets of 'Black' where she was an assistant to director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Anil Kapoor's daughter however shed those extra pounds on the insistence of her mentor Bhansali and romanced Ranbir Kapoor in 'Saawariya' soon after. Now a fashion icon, Sonam too went under the drill of being an AD before standing under the arch lights.

Source : Film still

Uday Chopra - Legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra's younger son Uday was a part of some of Indian cinema's most successful films like 'Darr', 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge', 'Dil Toh Pagal Hai' and 'Hum Tum' as an assistant director. He however made an unsuccessful transition as an actor with films like 'Mohabbatein', 'Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai', 'Supari' and 'Neal 'n' Nikki'.

Source : Viral Bhayani

Arjun Kapoor- Actor Arjun Kapoor was once an assistant director to Nikhil Advani on films like 'Kal Ho Naa Ho' and 'Salam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love'. He later forayed into acting and made a dynamic debut with the film 'Ishaqzaade'.